Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Ground Forces Deputy Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Alexander Lentsov has been appointed commander of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh against a backdrop of rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 27th April, 2023) Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that Ground Forces Deputy Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Alexander Lentsov has been appointed commander of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh against a backdrop of rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh has changed four commanders since its deployment in November 2020. Lentsov's predecessor, Maj. Gen. Andrey Volkov, had held the helm since January 2022.
"Starting on April 25, 2023, Colonel General Alexander Lentsov, deputy commander-in-chief of ground troops of the Russian armed forces, has been appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent (in Nagorno-Karabakh)," the statement read.
On Sunday, the Azerbaijani State Border Service said its units had set up a border checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, the only land route linking Armenia and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku explained the decision by the alleged illegal use of the road by the Armenian side and security threats. Since December 12, 2022, the Lachin corridor has been blocked by a group of Azerbaijanis described by Baku as environmental activists.
Yerevan slammed Baku's move, stressing that it was against both the 2020 trilateral declaration and the February 22 decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandating Baku to ensure unhindered movement through the Lachin corridor. On Tuesday, Armenia appealed to the ICJ over Azerbaijan's installation of the checkpoint.
Moscow responded by stressing the unacceptability of any unilateral steps in violation of the provisions of the 2020 tripartite statement and also noted an increase in the number of ceasefire violations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, calling on the parties to return to respecting the agreements.
The decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in September 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. Hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral declaration of ceasefire signed in November 2020. The two former Soviet countries agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/russia-changes-commander-of-peacekeepers-in-n-1682615.html